Happy Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because it’s my 35th birthday! I absolutely love what Thanksgiving is all about. It is so easy to get caught up in what we don’t have and what we’re working towards that we forget to think about all that we do have and to be grateful for it.
This year I thought it would be fun to say 35 things I am thankful for since today is my 35th birthday! WOW, it’s kind of crazy to say that out loud. I’ve hit my mid-thirties and yet I still feel so young!! I know they say that having kids can “age you” but I think it actually did the opposite. I feel more like a kid running around and playing with Mason. I also love seeing the world and experiencing it all through his eyes. Its like reliving all the magic again but as an adult. So you if ask me if I’m freaking out about it, I can tell you that I am not!
35 Things I am Thankful For:
1. My health. I know I’ve shared my fitness journey with you all the past few years and while I do share that I wish I was farther along in my progress, one things for sure is that I am happy to be healthy and have the opportunity to workout and make healthy choices.
2. My family. Without them I don’t know what I would do! They lift me up when I’m feeling down and are my biggest cheerleaders.
3. That God trusted me to be Mason’s mom. I thank God everyday for Mason. He is truly the center of my world and the absolute light of my life. Justin and I are completely blessed to have him as our son. When I look at him I can’t help but smile and feel so thankful for him.
4. My husband. Yes, he falls under family too but he really needed his own shout out! I am so thankful to have a husband who loves me so much and who is so supportive. He works so incredibly hard for us and helps me out with my blog so that I can continue to do what makes me happy. He allows me to have wild ideas and will even sometimes entertain a few of them but he also brings be down to earth.
5. Our home. It’s easy for me to want more, it’s in my nature but I do know that we are so lucky to be homeowners. We may own a small house but we own it!
6. Our puppies. Lexie and Jackson may not actually be puppies anymore but they certainly are still puppies to me! I love that when I’m working from home they both love to lay right next to me. I have been so thankful of their companionship for the past 10 years and I love how much they love Mason.
7. That my husband is handy. Again, with the husband, I know! But this ties back to our small house and all the projects we’ve done to be able to make it feel like our home. I don’t think we’d have be able to do half of them if it weren’t for the fact that he’s super handy and so we’ve done all the remodels ourselves. My favorite remodel has definitely been our bathroom. I also love how our living room turned out. That reclaimed wood wall was my idea, and I did do all the staining of the wood but it went up super easy thanks to Justin’s handyman skills. PS We’re currently working building a new pantry and I can’t wait to share before and afters.
8. The opportunity to be a content creator. This is largely in part thanks to you all who stop by my blog and read my posts. I truly love creating content and partnering with companies and brands that I love.
9. My brand partners. I am so thankful for all my brand partners. Especially the ones that I have been working with ongoing! I love relationship building, especially with the brands that I love and work with. It’s nice to have partnerships and not just one off brand collaborations. Not like they are bad, it just feels so good when a brand is happy to be working with you and continues to want to work together and grow together.
10. Mason’s preschool teachers. I have to give a big shout out to Masons preschool and his teachers. They all love him so much and are making a huge impact on his life in such a positive way. I know he is growing so quickly in part to their knowledge and teaching skills.
11. That we’re finally in speech therapy for Mason. I have been working so hard to get this started for him. Mason is so bright and I know his brain knows exactly what he wants to say but sometimes it just doesn’t come out verbally. He’s only had a few sessions so far but I am already noticing a change.
12. My wholesale travel club. Why? Because not only has it allowed my family to travel more this year it has also created another income stream for me. It’s something I can wholeheartedly stand behind and share with others. I love helping people and this is one way I feel like I am doing just that. I love when I see people booking their trips on my buddy pass. Because, I know I just helped them save money and be able to take the trip and experience new places and things.
13. Family time. With Justin’s job as a Fireman and also his job as a reserve officer in the Marine Corps he is very busy. There is a lot of time I am solo with Mason. I love when we can have family time. This year we were able to take a few small trips as a family and one large/longer trip to Hawaii. It was an amazing vacation and I loved all the memories we made and the quality family time we had.
14. My new (to me) SUV. Guys, this has been a long time coming!! I’ve had my Saab since 2007. I loved that car dearly for many, many years but IT WAS TIME and I finally got myself a “mom car.” And let me just say that I am Obsessed!! If you want to know the back story, my Saab malfunctioned on my way home one day with my mom and Mason in the car. Luckily, I was able to pull the car off the road and right where I got cell service (1 bar) again, so I was able to get it towed to our house. That was pretty much the tell tale sign that I needed to get a new car. Just like the Saab, my new Audi Q5 is a lease return and in perfect condition.
15. Our solar. Yes that sounds funny but I really am. Because I can heat the house without worrying about our electric bill going through the roof as the temps cool down and it starts to feel like winter!
16. That there are so many food alternatives. I love carbs like the rest of us but I have found a way to get my cravings (when I have them) without needing to turn to wheat/grains, or high carb fruits or starchy vegetables. Living in the Bay Area, there are so many alternatives even in restaurants so it’s not hard to eat healthy!
17. Amazon Prime. I absolutely love the convenience of online shopping and free two-day delivery. We order from Amazon weekly. It truly is the best. I’m just patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for Amazon to launch their Whole Foods delivery in our area. There’s one literally 5 minutes from my house but man it would be nice to be able to order my groceries that I like to get from Whole Foods and have it delivered at the time fo my choosing, for FREE.
18. Nice neighbors. I love that our neighbors all look out for each other. With the past few PGE power outages it’s been nice having our neighbors looking out for me when Justin is not home. And I can’t tell you how many times Jackson has escaped our backyard only for one of our neighbors to find him and return him safely to us. I feel much better knowing that they all look out for us just like we look out for them!
19. Mom friends. It is so nice to have mom friends to talk to and vent to because they get it. Finding my mom friend tribe hasn’t been easy for me but I am slowly making quality friendships and so is Mason. It really is nice to have playdates to break up the norm and women I feel that truly get me and I get them.
20. Longtime friends. I am so thankful for our friends that we consider family. Justin and I are very blessed to have a wonderful group of mutual friends that we’ve known since high school. It is nice to know they are all (for the most part) so close and people we can lean on if we need to. We also still have so much fun together and I’ve loved watching as everyone has grown up and started families or are starting families. It’s really cool to be a part of all the different stages of life with the same people.
21. My Peloton Bike. I have wanted one for years and I am so thankful to finally have one in my office/home gym. It helps motivate me to workout and makes it easy for me to fit it into my schedule. I try and workout first thing in the morning and I can do so even when Justin is gone for work since it’s right at home and I can workout while Mason is still sleeping. I love the range in classes and all the instructors bring something different to my workout.
22. My Spintray for my Peloton. Ok, so this product is genius!! I love it because now when I would otherwise be sitting and working from my desk I can now also be moving my legs and spinning while working on my laptop or taking a call. I love getting those extra calories burned! Just one more thing I can do to help me stay healthy and keep moving towards my goals.
23. Good health insurance. This probably should be higher up on the list but I’m just adding as I think of things lol 😂 I am so thankful that not only do we have health insurance for our family but also our pups. Without insurance I don’t know how we would have paid for Lexie’s surgery last year!
24. My Ketone Supplements. These have really been so helpful to me and my health and fitness journey. I absolutely love taking them every morning. I immediately get a boost and feel ready to take on the day after having my morning supplement and then mid-day I get a much needed pick me up.
25. Google and YouTube. If there’s something I don’t know, I know I can find the answer on Google or YouTube for videos on showing me how-to do something. Makes life so much easier!
26. My wrist surgery I had last year. Yes it set me back when it came to my fitness goals but it is so much better to be able to pick up a pot or pan and not have pain in my wrist. It still hurts from time to time but at least it’s no longer the norm.
27. Grandparents that are able to help out. It take a tribe to raise a child and I am so thankful to have both my parents and my in-laws so close to us! I also love that Mason has a great relationship with them all and has fun having sleepovers at their houses.
28. Wine and Champagne. Because this mom loves some wind down time after bedtime and if that’s with a glass of wine or bubbly then that’s a good time in my book. Unfortunately, it seems that my tolerance for alcohol has only gotten smaller and now I’m even feeling it the next day after one glass. Not all the time but sometimes. If you have any solutions that don’t include cutting it out all together, I’m all ears!
29. High waisted jeans, pants, skirts and leggings. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go back to anything mid or low rise because high waists are where its at! I am thankful for the illusion it gives of longer legs and for the extra “suck in” it gives for my waist ie “mom belly.”
30. Netflix. Netflix has been killing it with their shows and movies lately. Their kids shows are awesome too! Mason is all about it.
31. Our backyard. I love that we can have people over and not feel crammed in our house. We’ve been slowly working on our backyard and now that we have Mason’s play structure its the perfect spot for playdates and easy entertainment on the weekend.
32. Spanx faux leather leggings. Literally the best. I love that I can wear the faux leather leggings out and I still look chic and my mom pooch is under control but still super comfortable.
33. Meal delivery. Just like I’m all about Instacart when I don’t feel like going grocery shopping, I am even more about meal delivery. There are so many great services for partially prepared meals or meal prep and when I’m wanting some new dinner ideas to switch things up I turn to them.
34. Drive-Thru’s. I love drive thrus. I was definitely big on them when Mason was a baby because I hated having to wake him up if I needed to eat something. I sure wish there were more drive-thru places in town but at least I how coffee spots under control.
35. ALL OF YOU!!!! You all are THE BEST! I love interacting with you on social media and I love when you reach out via email or DM. It’s fun getting to know you more and I hope to continue to be able to contact with more of you!
Ok, that was a long one and kind of hard for me. I don’t think I’ll be able to do this again next year! I’m getting to old to be able to create lists as long as my age…but at the same time this was fun!
Shop our holiday photo outfits:
As always, thank you so much for stopping by the blog today! I hope you enjoyed this post!! Oh and please let me know one thing you are thankful for in the comments below!
